Azun Daiou High
by Virga
Summary: Youkai and humans live together in Modern day Japan. Isn't it weird? Join Inuyasha and Kagome in this new parallel world. A plotless paradise that dives into the relationships of... well, everyone, and an insight into a youkai's world...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I like to think about baggy pants. .o.

I reckon it took me a couple of months to write this chapter, another couple of months to type it and a month of doing nothing, and there'll be many more like it to come. Isn't it fantastic that I have no idea of where this will be going?

…

I'm so disorganised. tears are falling from my eyes

Please, my little spiders, when I named this I had no idea that Azumanga Daioh existed, so please don't bug me about it! I found out afterwards, so I looked it up. Turns out its aim is similar to mine… no I won't let you know what I'm talking about!

(If you don't know Azumanga Daioh, check it out; it's really cool! Hell, even my older brother likes it!!)

This story is set in a parallel-ish world. If youkai did exist, they'd hang around, right? And they would be a heavy influence on Japan and everything about it. Youkai and humans have found a sort of stable society, and it'll stay that way for the story. I don't like those HUGE government scandals that break down the nation and… well, you know.

sigh Now I'm just rambling. Please tell me what you think of this first chapter. Can't promise anything for flames yet, but soon…

Bwahahahahahahahahaha

Now read

**Azun Daiou High**

Chapter 1

_Yes_, Kagome thought appreciatively, _this school is going to be a million times better than my old school._

Five buildings of various shapes and sizes. A large hall. A boarding house. Canteen and lunch area. Library. And the administrative building, of course.

Kagome sat slumped in a chair that was too low for her. Identical chairs lined the opposite wall, as well as on either side of her. A secretary sat at her desk, typing at her computer. She could hear the murmur's of her mother and the principal from the next room, over the humming of the old machine.

There was a box of school diaries next to the door of that office, she remembered. She had taken one while her mother and Sensei had greeted each other.

The principal had then turned to her, and his smile had faltered a little, then he recovered with a light laugh.

"Higurashi Kagome-san, isn't it? That'll be your school diary. You can keep that one, if it's blank. Would you like to talk with me and your mother?"

Kagome knew what was expected. An evil glint in her eye, she smiled politely. She opened her mouth to—

"Oh, I'm sure Kagome wouldn't mind waiting outside here for a few short minutes."

Her mother's glance was clear.

Don't ruin this.

"I don't mind waiting, uh…"

"I am Saito-sensei."

"Saito-sensei," Kagome echoed.

So no fun after all.

Kagome flicked idly through the book she had tossed onto the chair next to her. Seeing that the inside of the front cover had no print, she dug a black marker from her pocket and started to write.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

Inuyasha Terajima sauntered to the principal's office, having been caught in class reading… inappropriate… subjects of interest. Having scarred his young, female English teacher for life, he had been sent to detention, but not before telling the principal exactly what he had been doing. He turned a corner, smirking, and saw her.

That black hair, the colour of her skin, why hadn't he smelt her out? For it was clear now, that scent.

Her scent.

She was writing something in her diary.

She was definitely real. But, how?

_Kikyou._

Her head shot up. Had he said that out loud?

Kagome looked at the boy in front of her. She took in silver hair that fell to his waist, dog ears on top of his head with white fur, pale pink inside, tall build and… amber eyes?

He was wearing the standard Japanese male uniform, and black in stark contrast to his hair. But his jacket was undone, revealing a loose, grey shirt.

She saw that he was staring at her and raised an eyebrow. He started and looked away. Finally a bit of fun!

She looked down at her diary and finished writing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him walk over and sit in a chair opposite hers.

Now, for the opening line.

"So, why are you here?"

Inuyasha's ears had been irritated by the constant clicking and tapping of the secretary's computer. They twitched at the sound of her voice and he looked up.

He knew now that whoever he was dealing with, it was not Kikyou. This girl sounded similar to her, sure, but Kikyou did not do smug.

Kikyou did not have bright, sparkling, chocolaty brown eyes, either. They had been cold and hard, most of the time.

Then her words registered and inwardly he smirked. Wouldn't she like to know.

"What's it to you, bitch?"

Kagome's thoughts of having fun crawled under a table and died.

"I have a name. It's Kagome. Use it."

"Keh. I will… Bitch." Just because it was spoken in an undertone, didn't mean she couldn't hear it.

Her eyes flashed. "You…"

She suddenly realised the lack of noise in the room. Inuyasha probably realised at the same time, because simultaneously, they turned to the secretary and hissed, "What?"

Still in unison, they reacted in surprise and started to ignore each other.

The secretary smiled to herself. Then, checking the time, she got up and walked past the teenagers, and turned a corner out of sight.

Kagome, leaning back in the chair, followed her with her eyes. When she was gone, she turned back to the boy. He was sitting with his eyes closed and arms folded. In one of his hands was a diary.

Half shrugging, she flicked through her diary, and found the pages with maps on it. She frowned. An error?

"Hey."

Inuyasha opened one eye at this.

"Can I see your diary for a sec?"

He glanced at his diary. Probably wouldn't hurt, but something for nothing wasn't his style.

"Fine, but only if I get to see yours."

She shrugged and tossed it over. He caught it in his other hand then flung his diary straight at her nose.

"Nice."

Inuyasha blinked. Then saw that she was holding the book with two hands, one on either side. Stopping its nose-breaking path. She started flicking through his book. He blinked again.

He opened her book in the middle and it was blank. Obvious, really, it was only the middle of first term. But the beginning of the school year was empty too. So, this was a new student.

Personal details weren't written down either. But there was something written diagonally across the inside of the front cover.

_IF SLUTS COULD FLY, THIS SCHOOL WOUD BE AN AIRPORT._

He smirked.

"Hey, Terajima-kun."

Anger replaced the smirk.

"What, wench?" he snapped.

Wisely, Kagome ignored it. "Why is the detention room," she jabbed her finger upwards, "up there?"

He closed his eyes.

"This is the only school in this district that will accept both youkai and humans. That's why."

"You're youkai?" she blurted, genuinely surprised. "I thought the teachers were slackers and you were cosplaying."

Inuyasha snorted. "I'm hanyou, dumbass. You been living under a rock?"

A loud thud echoed from the floor above. Inuyasha's nose and ears twitched. Kagome found herself wanting to rub those ears. His eyes flicked open and he frowned. "Saito-bastard. Missing the action."

Kagome looked at him coolly. "Action?"

He didn't know what she meant for a moment, the look had cast him to what had happened only days before. Then he smirked again. He deliberately made his voice deeper. "Yeah. Join me sometime and I'll show you just how active I can be." He said huskily.

It was kind of satisfying, seeing how tense she had suddenly become. She opened her mouth to speak.

But someone just had to conveniently clear their throat.

Kagome's mother and the principal were standing in the doorway, her mother's face frozen, having apparently heard Inuyasha's 'polite' invitation.

Kagome grinned and stood up.

"All done, Mama?" she said, walking over to Inuyasha. She tossed his diary in his lap, and then bent down to yank her own out of his hands. She was close. Too close for Inuyasha's liking.

"Maybe some other time, Terajima-kun."

"Keh." Her scent was floating around him. She was close. Too close.

"Thank you very much, Saito-sensei."

"Anytime, Higurashi-san. Feel free to come by at any time."

"Of course." And they left.

Saito-sensei turned to Inuyasha. "Now what have you gotten yourself into, Terajima-kun."

Smirking, he momentarily forgot the girl with Kikyou's scent. He stood up, folded his arms, turned his upper body to look straight into the eyes of the principal of Azun Daiou High and said;

"Sumizu-sensei caught me masturbating in class and reading porn manga."

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

"Dammit."

"What is it, Kagome?"

Kagome turned the diary over in her hands. "That guy made gashes and marks all over my book."

"It's so nice to know that you've made friends already so easily."

"He won't be a friend; more of a sparring partner."

"And I would be more at ease if you hadn't taken him up on his 'offer'." Her concern was obvious.

Kagome laughed. "Mama, I wouldn't sleep with anyone unless you approved him. Besides, I was just kidding around."

Kagome's mother smiled.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

There were three floors in the Administrative building, and the detention room, or floor, to be slightly more accurate, was on the third. It was reserved for the more aggressive youkai. But as more of the humans were teachers, youkai were almost always sent there for the smallest of disturbances. Such was Inuyasha's masturbation case (though it couldn't really be small, after _that_).

After Saito-sensei's mild chiding, Inuyasha walked up the stairs. It revealed a dark hallway with only one window, and stairs leading up to the roof. There was only one door. He walked though it, closing it behind him.

"Yo, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha nodded at the dark sprite.

"Meitetsu."

The sprite, with other youkai, was smoking, standing along the walls. Inuyasha joined him.

"Gotta fag?"

He did. Inuyasha lit it with a lighter from his pocket. He took a drag, and, one eye open, appraised the room.

Stacks of chairs and desks were scattered in various corners. Many were broken; some were steel frames with blackened plastic stuck to them. The blue linoleum floor still held its shine, and the white walls and high ceiling retained their shape.

This would be to the credit of several monks whose visit coincided with the day that the issue of the recurring destruction of the Detention room was mentioned. The monks immediately offered their help. After being assured that their stay would be paid for, they proceeded with a noisy seven day ritual of strengthening the room for youkai. It required several barrels of 'sacred' sake. One youkai mentioned in passing the smell of cigarette smoke and a spicy, indiscernible smell from the room. But rituals were rituals, and, true to their word, every corner of the room was indestructible by youkai by the end of their stay.

The monks left, with a hefty sum of cash. Several valuable antiques in the school mysteriously vanished at around the same time, but of course that was merely a coincidence. The monks of that particular brotherhood were never heard of in that district again.

Inuyasha's eyes swept the room. It took in a human hiding behind a chair, a ring of youkai cheering on two others fighting in the center, which seemed to be bordering on a general all-out brawl, more smokers, some youkai playing poker, some youkai making out. Only one thing missing…

"Kasaya-san isn't here," Inuyasha commented.

Kasaya Sakio was 2775 years old and was specifically paid to supervise the Detention Room.

"Left for lunch, I think."

Inuyasha flattened his ears as screeches and shouts echoed from the fighting youkai. No one would actually die; one of the two main rules was no killing. He looked at Meitetsu and saw that he had an evil grin on his face.

"You coming?"

Inuyasha grimaced inwardly. "I'll pass."

"You always do." The dark sprite joined the chaos, as did some others. The ones playing poker didn't even look up.

Inuyasha took another drag of his cigarette.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

"Nope. Go fish."

"Dammit."

Souta grinned. "Dammit is right. You probably have half the pack in your hands."

Kagome fumed. He was exaggerating; ten cards would be to the estimate of around one fifth of a pack. Souta, her little brother, only had two in his hand, which meant…

"Souta's cheating!"

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"No way! I just happen to be better at this."

Kagome's fury vanished. She leaned forward, smiling slowly. When she spoke, her voice was deep and dangerously lilting.

"Sou—ta—"

The boy leant back slightly. "Um…"

"I may be a girl, Higurashi Souta, but I have the advantage of being your older sister, and I know every second of your miserable life. I know all your weaknesses."

She was leaning closer, her hands behind her back.

"I-I…"

"DIE, SLIME!"

Her hands appeared above her head, revealing the cushion she had just been sitting on moments before. Still smiling, her lips parted, the top row of her teeth showing. Souta, completely terrified, squeaked and shielded his face with his arms. "Please, nee-chan. Don't kill me. I'm sorry. I'll do anything you say. Please," he begged.

_Ring-ring._ Pause. _Ring-ring._

Kagome gave vent to an exaggerated sigh and stood up. Souta was still trembling. She tossed her head.

"Gah. Pathetic human," she said, using a deep voice, and sounding out every syllable. She walked down the hall to the phone that had rudely interrupted. She picked it up.

"Moshi-moshi. Higurashi desu."

"Ah, Kagome. Yuka desu yo."

Kagome smiled, but decided to keep the conversation with her old school friend short. There were still punishments to dish out.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

Wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, Kagome took the effort to look at her wristwatch. It took her five minutes to do so.

"Oh, shit."

There was still time to make it to school, if she got ready in seven minutes. She was done in six.

_If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried._

Kagome liked this school. No, scratch that. Kagome loved this school.

Prior to her current attendance, she had gone to the local senior high. Teachers had close to no personality, many often distancing themselves from them. They had been very strict. The students, to Kagome, had been equally as dull. Mainly due to the fact that she had known them all for about half her life. Sad.

Anyone who had been slightly interesting, had been weeded out. But there were probably more people like Kagome in there still, whose fun side had slept dormant in her belly. It had decided to wake up in the third term of her second year there. So as to not disappoint her mother with her expulsion, she adopted the façade of a holy angel.

Promptly kicked out in the first term of the new year, it coincided perfectly with her mother's impulsive decision to move, and things had changed for the better.

Kagome had been a little concerned at discovering that the school accepted both humans and youkai, the tiny piece of information that the hanyou, Terajima-kun, had told her. She needn't have worried.

The teachers did hold to the rules. But only in a general sense. They were noticeably slack while teaching, as the murmur in the room never really died down. They even talked with the students about their own boring little lives when they should've been working.

The youkai, generally, didn't learn. They did listen every once in a while. Kagome knew that youkai had long lives, so they probably had long memories too. Enough to go through twelve years of school and remember enough to pass with distinction. If bothered.

As it was, she ignored everyone, and everyone ignored her. It was preferable that way. She knew that adjusting to her new school would be difficult.

Besides, she was still deciding what to have for lunch. She hoped she had enough money.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

Having finished his shift at the sushi bar, Inuyasha sat devouring a double serving of pork udon. He was eating at a much slower rate than was per usual. That girl with Kikyou's scent kept plaguing his mind.

Unthinkingly, he began to growl, no longer eating. He definitely didn't need reminders of Kikyou, especially at a time like this.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

The owner of the restaurant looked on anxiously as the growling made some of his customers uncomfortable. Damn him if he lost any of his customers. He walked up to the offender.

"Excuse me, sir."

"Grrrrr…"

"Excuse me," he said, raising his voice slightly.

"… rrrr…"

He really didn't want to make a scene. But, he _was_ a hanyou. Besides, half the restaurant was already looking on curiously.

"Oi, hanyou!"

At least he had stopped growling. But he wasn't sure he liked the alternative any better. The boy's eyes were fixed on him. The stange, other-worldly colour had him frozen to the spot, his mouth drying. He cleared his throat. The boy didn't move.

"Look, hanyou, growling and other threatening gestures are not tolerated in here," he said sternly, "You're making my customers nervous. Understand?"

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

Inuyasha stared at him uninterestedly before abruptly turning back to his half-finished lunch, and eating at a record rate. If it could be called eating. More like sucking. Like a vacuum. He kept one eye on the restaurant owner. He was back in his original position, visibly relieved. Inuyasha smirked. Finishing the udon, he dumped some money on the table, and walked out.

The food court wasn't much of a food court; a person could eat there, but they could also buy fresh groceries. It worked out. It was just off Main Road and Azun Daiou was nearby. The section of the street it occupied was covered with a huge, arched glass roof.

Under it, Inuyasha felt exposed. It was good that he was done before the lunch-hour rush. It was intentional. He avoided crowds under all circumstances. Human and youkai. H  
He was standing, undecided in as to where to go, with his back to the strip of concrete that separated two shops. He knew he should be at school, but at that moment there really wasn't any reason to move. So he didn't. The small concentrations of students and people weren't particularly bothersome.

He felt her presence rather than saw it. He looked anyway.

The Kikyou look-a-like had an aura that shone with a distinctively feminine pink glow. Was she a miko? It was possible.

Miko or not, she was walking vaguely in his direction. His choice was made. He picked up his small bag. Choosing a path that would eventually lead him to school, Inuyasha stalked away, away from the girl.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

A girl was with her friends, eating at a café. She smiled on seeing a young man with long silver hair walk past. He had the cutest dog ears on his head. She nudged her friend next to her, catching some of the other girls' attention. They followed her line of gaze, and, as one, giggled. Then they saw his ears twitch and stopped abruptly.

Silently they watched him walk away. No one was smiling. Finally, the girl who had first seen him turned to face the girls, and sighed.

"Still, he was hot anyway."

Her friends nodded solemnly.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

Kagome wondered briefly why she hadn't known that Terajima-kun was in her class. She sat in the back left of the classroom, and the hanyou sat in the desk right in front of her own. They hadn't said anything to each other. Kagome was keeping to her ignore-everyone policy, and she also sensed that he didn't want to be talked to. It had been clear enough when she walked in. He had looked up, saw her and his face contorted into an exasperated look, before he pointedly turned his head away to look out the window.

Maybe he didn't like her because she instantly returned his look with a 'don't-you-just-love-me' grin. Like she was going to let him ruin such a wonderful day.

Was a wonderful day.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

He knew that they had been waiting for him. Second last period had just finished, and the teacher had just left the room. He turned in his chair, his right arm on the back of his chair. He stared at them, eyes half closed.

The youkai were on the other side of the room. They didn't acknowledge Inuyasha's stare; in fact, they didn't acknowledge him at all. They sat as a group, talking among themselves. He couldn't hear them, which meant that they had woven a spell. Idly, he wondered what they were going to do.

Confrontations didn't happen often. Only if the youkai could find a reason. All Inuyasha had to do, was wait.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

Kagome looked sideways, at the youkai. The mood in the room had changed slightly, and she felt it prick at her skin.

"Oi, dog-shit. What happened to your girlfriend?"

So, he was taken.

"Yeah, hanyou. Last I heard she couldn't wait to get away from you."

Was Terajima-kun growling? Yes, he was. It sent shivers down her spine.

"Oh, Inu-baby, why, WHY did you hurt me so?" Another youkai said in a false girl's voice.

Kagome blinked as Terajima-kun seemingly vanished from his chair.

"You BASTARDS!"

His growls had become a roar of fury, his face a picture of blind rage. He cleared the space between him and the youkai in a single bound.

The element of surprise allowed one punch for the hanyou, and then the odds were against him. The youkai he was trying to pummel dodged every hit with a smug ease that only served to anger Terajima-kun more.

Kagome was in a student's 'sleep' position: head resting sideways on her folded arms, which were on her desk. She observed the fight through half-closed eyes. The rest of the class, she saw, were either ignoring it, if they were human, or cheering them on, if they were youkai. A few students were gone, probably visiting some friends in other classrooms.

Her eyes swung back to the one-sided fight. Terajima-kun had given up a little too quickly, she thought. He was under a desk, and the youkai were crowded around his crouching form, kicking him savagely. The youkai he had tried to harm was slashing strategically down his body, grinning hugely.

Their mocking laugher rang out through the room, echoing in her ears, chilling her heart. She didn't move. She continued to watch them, the youkai, and Terajima-kun.

A tall, female youkai straightened from her kicking for a moment to say, "What's wrong, Inu-baby? Are you hurt?"

It set off a long string of insults.

"Pathetic hanyou."

"Always messing with human bitches, hanyou. You're so weak you need a human to protect you and that pencil dick of yours."

"Dumbass don't have any balls."

"Pussy, pussy!"

"You're weak, hanyou, weak. Like a human girl. Can't even fight back! Pussy!"

"Got no balls!"

"Who was the whore, Inu-baby? Mummy or Daddy?"

"Probably doesn't know his Daddy; Mummy's fucked so many guys that she doesn't know herself." Terajima-kun seemed to be filled with a new energy, but he was subdued again.

He had ruined her wonderful day after all. But not in the way she had expected. She looked through the faces of the insatiable youkai. She selected the tall female, who had started the insults. This would be the one she would follow after school.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

The youkai Kagome was going to track promptly vanished when school was finally over. Luckily, her classroom overlooked the front entrance of the school, and she saw her walk out. The youkai was in no hurry. That was good. A youkai in a hurry was impossible to follow. But she would have to be quick.

Kagome dashed down, around and out of the building, only half aware of the students glancing curiously at her disappearing, bent form.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

The sun still had a few hours before the sky would be orange, and then it would become purple, then blue, then black.

Kagome had trailed the youkai to the park with the big fountain. She couldn't remember the name. The first time she had been there she had sat in one of the trees, one with branches that started high up the trunk that could only be accessed via a tree nearby with low branches. Or by jumping from standing on the seat of a bicycle, and grabbing onto a branch.

She had seen the youkai heading for the park, and circled it quickly, entering it on the side, and was now straddling a branch, gripping the smooth, large limb between her thighs, her green skirt riding up, revealing a pair of black shorts. She leant back against the trunk, and the wood jarred uncomfortably against her tailbone. If she tilted her head to the side, the tall youkai could be clearly seen.

The youkai was thin, model-like, yet despite the similarity nobody would actually consider her a model. Her hair was black, and short, tied up in a high ponytail. A small hair ornament graced it. The kimono she was wearing was a gentle shimmery blue, with orangey, brown steaks of colour splashed across it.

The tree Kagome was in overlooked the path that the youkai was on. She was walking towards her.

Closer.

Closer.

Might've walked right past, too.

Kagome winked at her, simultaneously making an obscene gesture involving her middle finger.

The youkai stopped, staring straight ahead.

Kagome straightened from the laidback position she was in, sitting upright, leaning on her hands.

"So, how are you?" She called out gaily, though her blood was pounding in her ears, and her stomach was clenching.

There was no response from the unmoving youkai.

"I've seen you around. I'm in your class, did you know that?" She slid off the branch, hanging from it, grasping it with her arms. Smiling widely, she let go. On contact with the ground, she stumbled forward, but managed to right her balance, and she turned to grab her bike. She turned around again; the youkai had taken the time to begin walking again.

"Hey!" Kagome called. Holding her bike on the handlebars, she jogged slightly to reach the slow-paced youkai. "What's the rush?"

Maybe the youkai had realised that the human girl following her wasn't going to leave anytime soon. She broke her silence. "What do you need of me?"

Kagome was walking slightly behind the youkai, to make sure that she didn't suddenly disappear if they were walking side by side. She waved her hand vaguely. "Oh, I don't need anything. I just wanted to talk, that's all."

"State your business and leave."

_Man, you're cold._ "As I said, we're in the same class. I'm the new student."

"There are many new students all the time."

"Don't you hang with your friends after school?" Kagome pressed.

"What I do is none of your concern."

Kagome bit her tongue. "I saw what you did to him," she said quietly.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

Inuyasha limped, staggered, in the direction of the place he supposed would be called home. He saw humans and youkai alike; they would pass him, sparing him glances that were cruel, hard. A group of half-drunk men on the other side of the street laughed openly at him.

He felt a slight tug on one of his pant legs. It was a small, human boy. "Are you okay, mista?" he piped up loudly. "You look all hurt up." He wrinkled his nose comically. "You smell," he declared.

_Of blood_, Inuyasha thought. At the memory, he bared his teeth in a snarl. "Get lost, shrimp."

A young woman sped to them, glaring at the hanyou and lecturing the protesting boy. They were walking away. Inuyasha looked at the place they had been a moment before. He smiled slightly.

He walked on. A little of his strength had returned. Or his willpower.

When he reached the bridge, there were no more people, no more youkai. Just him. Beyond was where he lived. He sat in the middle of the bridge, legs swinging over the edge. This was a fitting place.

Here he could hate in peace.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

The youkai was looking at her. It was unsettling. Kagome wondered if should feel scared. Well, she did anyway. But she stood her ground.

The youkai's expression could almost be seen as amusement.

"Oh?" was all that she said.

Kagome gritted her teeth.

"What you did to that youkai."

"That thing is no youkai, nor does it deserve to be mistaken for one."

Kagome was surprised, at the venom the youkai had allowed herself to show. She kept her eyes fixed on the slim, tall figure, who began speaking again without Kagome's encouragement. "That _hanyou, _that thing's blood is tainted, its very existence against nature. They must be destroyed. I will not, however, hold you, a foolish human, to your statement. It was filled with ignorance, something that your kind do very well."

"Beg your pardon," Kagome said smoothly, no humility in her voice. "So he is a hanyou, I figured as much. Yet the literal translation is 'half-youkai'. Surely that gives them a certain amount of acceptance?"

"No."

The blunt, open statement caught her off guard, as she had already fabricated a response to a vague answer. She closed her partly open mouth and fell silent, taking stock of her surroundings.

Kagome was no longer able to recognise where they were anymore. They had basically walked in a straight line from the park. Around them were flats and houses. She could see a convenience store up ahead. She stopped walking, watching the youkai walk a while before speaking again.

"Don't they have rights?"

The youkai did not pause.

"They _are_ among the living."

Again, the youkai did not react to her, walking as though alone. Kagome felt herself flare up from anger, but she pushed it aside, knowing she only had one more chance.

Though she really wished that it didn't have to sound as meek as it did.

"Are you… scared of them?"

The youkai stopped, and spun around to face her. Her face made Kagome tense. She forced herself to speak in a clear, level voice, so that the tall youkai could not see her fear.

"If they were never meant to be, then they would not exist. They can't do anything to you…" her voice trailed off, "… they can't do anything…"

The youkai was an indifferent mask. She turned around again and walked away. She spoke. "Kagome, was it?"

"Yes, and you are?" She said politely.

"Saika."

"Nice to meet you."

"Hmph."

She smiled.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

Inuyasha was too tired to sleep. He lay on his side, fully clothed, so that his skin was burning from the warmth. He was on the futon, having just dragged it from outside. The fusuma he was staring at, was faded and dirty. There were several tears in the paper.

Once, he remembered, the fusuma had depicted something. Sakura blossoms, possibly, and cranes, some standing, some in flight. But, try as he might, he had yet to remember exactly what it looked like. He had been negligent, for a very long time now. Years had passed, and practically nothing had changed.

He gazed at the fusuma listlessly, taking in every detail.

Maybe, sometime, he would replace it.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

"You've been gone a long time, Kagome."

"I've been bonding. Hey, how does getting a part time job sound to you?"

"Don't strain yourself. You have to study."

"I'll be fine, I'm confident. Besides, I don't really have any idea of where to work yet, anyway. It's just that I want to get used to this place."

"Well… I trust you, Kagome."

"Oh, that's great! Thanks so much!"

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_

End of Chapter 1

Reflections: Keep in mind that this is not from request of reviewers, though that's not really possible at this point in time. These are just personal thoughts that accompany this chapter. If you decide to read over this chapter again, keep these thoughts in mind, and maybe I will hold your interest a little longer. These are the sorts of tiny subtleties that make a story a story.

Why was Inuyasha masturbating in class? Simple. It's a bonus to get out of class, but he's at the back of the room, so no one can really see. Plus it feels good. Plus he revels in the fact that the youkai feel disgusted at his actions (those that can't smell it can sense the change in his aura). And he's a hanyou, so he's meant to be an ass.

Did he say Kikyou? Of course not. Kagome's just a little self-conscious, that's all. And/or curious.

Why does Kagome's mother smile when Kagome said she 'was just kidding around'? I guess she knows that Kagome will try to be friends with this vulgar outcast, maybe. Or maybe she's waiting to find out if those ears are real. [kukuku…

Why do all the youkai seem… gangsta? It's obviously not all the youkai. A very small percentage just decide that they'll live among the people. To terrorise them, of course. Haha, just kidding. More often than not it's to practice manipulating others. Ah, the game of naivety… as everybody knows, humans are easy to manipulate. Sometimes it's for serious reasons, sometimes it's just for fun.  
So why do they seem gangsta? It's just easier to scare or shock others when you do something immoral or illegal.

What was Kagome's old life like? Oh, you'll find out when she goes back there… (kukuku… I like to laugh)

Inuyasha works at a sushi shop? And more like it. That way he gets free food!! - I wonder how the customers react to him, though.

What's with the fusuma? A fusuma is like the sliding paper doors in traditional Japanese houses. It can be used to separate rooms and the like. I don't know if there are designs printed on fusuma, but if they don't, they do now. It's a metaphor of something that is quite obvious to me. But is it to you?  
I might use it for fluff later on. Far, far, far later on.

_---If at first you don't succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.---_ someone in my year group said this at school. Can't remember who, but it's hers!

Virga


	2. Chapter 2

To whom it may concern:

I have recently become aware of the allegations of plagiarism of the Japanese text, Inuyasha. I know, as do many others, that that this text is of the property of the one Rumiko Takahashi, and not to be confused with my own work in any way. This is an original fan fiction _of_ Inuyasha, and should be kindly regarded as such. I hope this dispels any misconceptions.

Sincerely,

Virga Azun Daiou High Chapter 2 

Inuyasha's nose twitched and his eyes opened.

This tree was one of the few places he liked. Of course, it was probably because it was at the back of a shrine. The Marena Shrine, he thought it was.

The shrine was large, one that was run by a group of people. If it had been run only by family, it would've been run by a single old woman.

Or not, Inuyasha was no longer sure. A lot could happen in two weeks. After all, he liked the tree, not the shrine.

At the moment he was lying on the branch, his head and shoulders supported by the trunk. His eyes had opened when a calming scent wafted over with the breeze. He smiled. It was very quiet.

"Inuyasha." His mouth became a hard line.

"Why did you hide this from me?! You knew, you knew all along. I trusted you. Did you ever trust me?"

"I have always trusted you," Inuyasha's voice was barely a whisper. "Never doubt my trust for you."

"Then why, Inuyasha, Why?"

The voice changed.

"At the bridge, she said, I don't know where that is but that's what she said-"

"What?!" He muttered, but in his mind it was loud, angrily so, bouncing within the confines of memory. "Who is this?!"

"I-I can't! If she, if she finds out, I'm..."

Fair enough. "Keh."

And then he could see her face.

An ethereal beauty, entrancing. Eyes closing in sadness. a small mouth slightly open, as though about to speak. a shimmering blue and orange, silver. hair of silk, floating about her face.

Her eyes.

Cold, distant. A maelstrom of emotions, hidden behind a shield of brown.

Inuyasha felt tired again. Slowly, his eyes closed, and he gave into sleep.

---_I can't do homework tonight, I have to straighten my hair!---_

"Ma-re-na Shrine."

She cocked her head to the shrine name plate. Souta, further down the street and holding a soccerball, turned and saw her just standing there. "Nee-chan! Aren't we going to the park?!"

Kagome glanced at him, then her gaze swung back to the shrine steps. Then Souta, then the shrine. Then she smiled dazzingly at him.

"Come on, Souta, we'll make a stop here first."

"Aww, you promised."

Kagome ran up the stairs anyway. Souta huffed, faintly annoyed, but followed her.

"Look, Souta, it's the torii!" She was at the top of the stairs, pointing at the red shrine gateway. Unlit lanterns swung gently from either side of the gate.

"It's bigger than at ours," Souta commented, reaching the top. "This place just has too many steps- whoa."

Close to all signs of suburban life were gone. As she stood there, she felt younger, she felt as though someone had lifted her higher up, to a place of inexplicable beauty, a place where anything, if only for a moment, would, could, be possible.

The path was wide, square tiles, leading up to the entrance of the shrine. There were two pairs of stone '_komabutsu_'- the dragon, thin and lithe, its tail coiled, its form an almost undetectable green hue. The phoenix, wings outstretched, the slender neck holding its head up high, its tail feathers curling and trailing at its base.

The shrine itself looked well-structured and sturdy. It was a low, single-story shrine, a simple design of solid wooden sliding doors, a slightly raised platform, and large, round pillars supporting the roof. The roof itself was low and sloping, tiled with shades of grey. The scent of incense hung in the air.

The shrine was surrounded by various trees. Kagome recognized some of them. There were plum trees and sakura trees, some blooming late in the season. Pine and oak.

On either side of the path leading up to the shrine, were smaller structures, probably storage rooms of some kind. Two of them had _shimenawa_ across their doors.

Close to the _torii_, a little to the left of the path, was a _chouzuya_, a basin of water, with white ladles crossing its mouth.

Frozen, Kagome and Souta could only stare, its majesty overruling any thought of moving. Then, a loud cry from a distant bird jerked them back into reality.

"Nee-chan, maybe we should cleanse ourselves."

"… I guess so." They washed their hands and mouths.

"Welcome to Marena Shrine."

A young girl was standing just a little behind them, around fourteen or fifteen years old. She had long, dark brown hair, in two low ponytails, and a fringe past her eyebrows. Her eyes were large and wide, her skin a creamy white, her face soft and curved. She was wearing a traditional shrine maiden outfit, white and red.

Kagome was a little nervous. She hadn't realized the girl was there. "Um, sorry for intruding," she said sheepishly. Souta, in turn, grinned at the girl, embarrassed, and picked up his soccer ball.

The girl smiled in response.

"If it isn't too much trouble," Kagome said politely, "would you tell us where the priest of this shrine might be?"

"The priest is currently not available, but I can take you to the one in charge."

"Please."

They trailed behind her. She was a slow walker. Patiently, one foot stepped in front of the other, flowing. Kagome elbowed Souta, hard. He had been alternating between very fast and very slow. He immediately adjusted his pace to the crawl they were going at.

The main hall was large, and dimly lit. They were led through a side door, into a smaller room, which was open to the outside, natural light sharpening the distinction between light and dark. A low, square table sat in the middle of the room, and cushions to sit on placed neatly around it.

There, sat a woman. With a novelty eye patch.

Stunned with surprise at the unusual patch, words slipped out. "Sugoi! That's a mad eye patch you got there!" Then she remembered that the shrine was sacred.

The woman chuckled at Kagome's red face. "Thank you, love. It is, isn't it?" She touched the patch with a hand. "It serves its purpose well. Why don't you sit down? Mihoko-san?" She asked the girl. "Would you like to stay with us?"

The girl smiled and bowed. "Thank you. But I still have many things to do today. With your leave…?"

"Of course."

She stood straight again, and left. Kagome smiled.

The woman stood and bowed. "Welcome to Marena Shrine. I am Kaede, a stand-in for our currently non-existent priest."

Kagome and Souta bowed at the same time, and she spoke for them both. "I am Higurashi Kagome, Kaede-sama, and this is my younger brother, Souta."

Kaede-sama grinned, somehow coming across as warm and inviting. "Come on, sit down and have some tea." She indicated a teapot and cups. "Are you two new in this district?"

They sat down. Souta decided to speak. "Yeah, we're new here. Just moved into block four a couple of weeks ago. It's cool here."

"Well, this is the local shrine around here, and I'm pretty well known, close to everyone around knows me." She laughed. "Being the eldest of the mikos here, I had no choice but to accept the position of head of this shrine." Kagome and Souta laughed nervously along with her.

"So, no priest, right?" Kaede-sama nodded. "Why not?"

"I don't really know," the miko said, suddenly dreamy. "Legacy, I suppose. The shrine hasn't had a priest for a while. Umm, what was it? Fifty years." She grinned as they sweatdropped. "We're waiting for someone. Someone unique. And until we do, this shrine will be priest-less."

"Umm, cool."

"This is a meeting place for everyone, so make sure you guys come over again. And bring the family." She winked.

Kagome saw Kaede as just a little off the mark, but then again most everyone she had met were. For some reason the population was more open than usual, generating a friendly, if fucked-up atmosphere. It was crazy, and perfect. Perfect for a mixture of humans, youkai, hanyous, and a rebellious, fucked-up teenager from a conservative town.

---_I can't do homework tonight, I have to straighten my hair!---_

He felt a vibration against his leg, and pulled out the contraption. One of his acquaintances had given it to him. He looked at the message.

_There's been a little injury. Satsurou_

Inuyasha yawned widely, pocketing the phone again. He glanced at the surrounding area, then hopped off the branch onto a lower, skinnier one. He braced himself.

The branch bent and groaned under his weight. Then it sprung back, and Inuyasha used the momentum to leap forward. The jump took him above the canopy of the trees. He squinted; he really had to get sunglasses sometime.

He could see the road at the bottom of the hill. Once, he had jumped from the summit, straight down. The road gained a large pothole, but no one was blamed, as a 'large silver blur' was not a sufficient description to convict anyone.

As it was, the force of landing had given him long split wounds on both feet. The aching pain he endured that night was enough to cause him to avoid jumping from such heights again, though one day he would practice landing without injuring himself.

Maybe.

Near the foot of the hill, he leapt onto the roof of a building.

And began to run.

---_I can't do homework tonight, I have to straighten my hair!---_

"This is so boring," she complained, kicking the ball around half-heartedly. Above them the sun glared at them in all its majestic glory. Her skin glistened with sweat, and she sighed, falling back onto the grass when the wind picked up.

"Ah, the kazekami. It has saved me."

"You're going overboard, Nee-chan. And get up, the ball's theirs, you know."

"Make me." Through lazy eyes she watched him kick the ball away to the group he had lent it to, for some reason deciding not to play soccer. He turned to face her again but instead looked far beyond herself. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "Just a youkai, I think."

"Hmm." She lay back down again. "Like another world here, sometimes. Before we came here I'd never seen a youkai walk down the street."

"Yeah, I know…"

"It's so weird, yeah? And Kaede-sama, I mean, where can you get an eye patch like that? And school's mad as, man. But I swear, the rate we're going, graduation'll be set back two or three years, no one learns nothing."

"Haha, well yesterday was really demented, our sub was this short woman who sounded like she didn't have a voice at all. Everyone was just doing their own thing, and she was running around trying to tell us to be quiet." Kagome was laughing. Souta grinned and went on. "And then- Get this."

"Yea."

"We-" He burst out into a strange case of giggles, but struggled on. "We ended up-"

"Come on, what's so funny?"

"We ended up locking the teacher in the store cupboard outside our room."

Kagome cracked up. "You're joking!" she declared, gasping for air.

"Nope."

"That's so cruel!" She burst out laughing again, leaving Souta to wonder if she had said 'cruel' or 'cool'.

---_I can't do homework tonight, I have to straighten my hair!---_

Old industrial sites were scattered throughout most cities. Old American films, which still screened in some run-down theaters stuck in time, showed huge factories and buildings, but this was not the case. These were small by comparison. On many of them, their corrugated iron roofs were removed, and the buildings would be made into apartments. Others were still in use. Sometimes they were given full makeovers, and the dark brickwork and iron roofs were covered in smooth concrete and semi-opaque glass.

Some retained their faded, ramshackle nature. Any noise from these places, with the exception of the early morning and late night, was heard in sharp, sudden bursts of sound that coloured the air. Then it would vanish, leaving the pigeons to wonder.

The streets lacked life. There were only roads, no pathways. Some were very wide, maybe twenty metres across. They were flat, even and empty. Dead leaves and animals, rubbish had long disappeared, rotted away, removed. Graffiti was elaborately scrawled along the walls. Minute alleyways were woven under and around buildings. They were tiny and dark, no more than a metre or so across, the way bumpy and uneven. The air was cold, very cold, and still.

Up on the roofs, the pigeons sat. During the day they would alternately leave to where they chose; at night they would invade an empty warehouse to sleep in. The highest part of the roof was marked by a single row of bricks, dividing where the iron might meet. Many pigeons, at any part of the day, would sit there.

The hanyou made barely a sound, running along these rows of bricks. Yet where he ran, birds rose up in swarms, the fluttering of their wings like a hum in the wind. It was a lonely sound, echoeing and fading.

He slowed down, and almost immediately felt the heat rising off the roofs, emanating from his own body. At the edge of a building he jumped down, the cool air rushing around him. He walked along one of the roads, avoiding the masses of white blemishes on the ground. Some were fresh.

When he felt that he had cooled down enough, he ducked down an alleyway. His eyes adjusted to the dark quickly, and his mouth twisted into a resentful smile. His body traits did not compensate for the life he had been born to lead. His expression relaxed, and took on a dull, bored look. His ears focused straight ahead.

Nearby, he could hear the muted sound of breathing. He stepped out of the alley and looked left. He was there, in his usual denim and a bandana hanging from a pocket. Although he usually walked in a stooping posture, Satsurou was tall now, leaning with his back to the wall. He seemed to be sleeping, facing the sky. Inuyasha imagined a bird shitting on his face; he was practically offering it to the rats above.

Past Satsurou, the building that was a warehouse was open. Large, round pillars descended from the ceiling. The light was dim, with a bluey-green hue. Inside were lines of mismatched trucks, with many spaces in between. All the others were out, Inuyasha knew. This bunch of no-good losers were hired out for everything, from removalists to deliveries to markets.

Arms folded casually across his chest, he waited in front of Satsurou.

He tall for an Asian, a strange, stretched look to him. His arms were long, his legs were long, his face was long, his eyes seemed to sink into the sockets of his face. His bones seemed to stick out of his flesh. Poke him and he might've fallen.

He also had the nerve to keep waiting people waiting for no reason at all.

Eventually, when Inuyasha was thoughtfully examining the exposed, pale neck, Satsurou opened one eye, saw Inuyasha, and faced him. His mouth stretched and parted into an unproportionally large grin. His teeth were tinged a dark shade of yellow, and bad breath radiated from his mouth. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose.

"Yo, Inuyasha. You 'right? Heard you've had a bad time."

He said nothing.

Satsurou's cheerful demeanor fell away. "Well, one of our guys, um, Getsuma… anyway, the idiot decided to take a break off the highway and was attacked. He's fine," he continued in a reassuring tone, although Inuyasha was past caring, and Satsurou knew that, "but he'll be out of it for a while. I need you to go and finish the job.

"It's very basic, actually, just take the silks to the destination. Getsuma should know. He's on route 139, he'll tell you what to do."

"Hmm."

Inuyasha leapt high, back onto a rooftop. Birds scattered, startled into flight. Below him, he could clearly hear Satsurou's voice, cursing him for breaking his good mood. Although why he would be in a good mood after finding that one of his men had been attacked, would forever remain a mystery.

The city was built on a hilly area, as most were. In the distance shrouded in mist lay many mountains. A few streams between the hills still existed, and were built around, and the outskirts of the city was mostly grass and forest, solid concrete marking the main highways, smaller roads being dirt trampled repeatedly by tired feet. The city did not thin out into disrepair; rather, it ended suddenly, the line between urban and natural apparent. Outside the city, if one ever deigned to leave, would come upon small farming villages. Log cabins and huts stuck to sides of mountains. Shrines marked themselves with individually designed _torii_.

Inuyasha ran through the trees, keeping the specified highway in sight. He let his mind wander, giving himself the pleasure of enjoying…

…this feeling.

Unburdened.

Unrestricted.

It felt nice.

---_I can't do homework tonight, I have to straighten my hair!---_

Inuyasha forcefully exhaled, trying to remove the horrible smell of gas emissions from his nose. It was lucky that the wind picked up, blowing about carelessly, as the smell made his head hurt. So he knew he was close.

He could see the truck. It wasn't a very big one, as trucks go. It was parked on one side of the road. Its door was open. In front of the truck was a narrow dirt track, that swerved away from the highway, swallowed by the trees. He glanced at the truck again. A short, squat man was sitting in the shadow of the door.

He ran, swinging onto a tree, then jumped into the sky. His shadow shrank, flashing past Getsuma. He noticed the movement and looked up. Inuyasha saw him set a long, smooth rifle to his shoulder, aiming straight at him.

He never liked the sound of the gun firing. Flattening his ears against his head, he narrowed his eyes at the man.

Getsuma fired.

Inuyasha winced.

The long bullet flashed harmlessly past him.

The hanyou landed heavily on all fours, several metres from the man. His head snapped up so that their gaze locked. Getsuma still had his gun aimed at him. Then his eyes widened slightly, and he relaxed. He lowered his gun.

"What the hell was that for?!" Inuyasha yelled, indignantly angry.

Gestuma spread his hands wide and shrugged, looking amused. Inuyasha advandced on him, one hand held up so that his claws flashed in the light. The glint of vengence was in his shadowed eyes. Getsuma held his hands up in surrender.

"My sight isn't like yours, Inuyasha," he protested as he advanced. "When somethingthat I can't see because it was in the sun flies at my head, I'll shoot. Don't tell me you've already forgotten that." He looked at the young hanyou.

Ooops. He had forgotten that. He only wanted to scare the living shits out of the guy. Inuyasha turned away and folded his arms. "Keh."

"Well, you have to take this lot to Mado." Inuyasha looked at him blankly. "the city past the North Mountains." Inuyasha's expression didn't change. Getsuma sighed. "The place where you were invited to a 'secret meeting' by those drag queens."

Inuyasha clenched a fist. "Those bastards."

"Anyway," Getsuma continued, "the clipboard with all the information you need is in there. You just do that. I'll be fine on my own." He tried to stand. Inuyasha looked him over, then a bored look came into his eyes and he pushed Getsuma back onto the ground.

"What…?"

"Why didn't you shoot it?" Inuyasha opened the back of the truck and ripped a long strip of silk.

Getsuma's voice carried. "Armour. And we're supposed to deliver all that, not maul it."

The truck door slid shut again. "They're all stingy bastards, they can do without their precious silk."

Inuyasha was amazingly resourceful. Getsuma's broken leg was bound in a splint. He nodded at his handiwork, satisfied. He then dragged the protesting man to a nearby tree and propped him up. "Stay here and try not to die. I'll come back and pick you up later. If I forget, well, that's your problem."

Getsuma stretched his arms, and then looked him squarely in the eye. "With all the effort you've put into me, boy, I'd say you actually want me to live."

Inuyasha fully returned his gaze. "If you die, I don't get paid," he answered.

---_I can't do homework tonight, I have to straighten my hair!_---

"Your ass is showing."

"Thank you. I have always wanted to hear that."

Souta laughed.

They were in her room. Souta wsa sitting on her bed, a huge mattress. A small pile of manga books were next to him. He held one in his hand, a finger marking a page as a makeshift bookmark.

Kagome was on the far side of the room, practicing some martial arts skills from memory. She was wearing a short skirt and a loose jumper several sizes too big for her. Her movements flowed, alternated between high and low, left and right. Her breathing was steady.

When she was younger, she had to struggle to focus on every movement she used on her opponent. Now she centered her concentration on an invisible foe, attack and defence coming naturally to her. She spun, punched, dodged spun, blocked, spun again.

Souta observed with a critical eye, head cocked to the side.

"Is it just me," he said curiously, "or have you gotten slower?" But she wasn't responding to his jibe.

Kagome continued her unrelentless attack. A wailing screamed in her ears. She no longer had one enemy, she had many, all black blurs, all around her, and coming closer. The room seemed darker, more dangerous; her head began to hurt. She kicked and swung at her opponents, her eyes flicking wildly to each one. They came closer.

Stars exploded in her eyes suddenly, rising up, obscuring her vision. Her eyes hurt. She lost her balance, falling forward. Her eyes squeezed shut, she whined, "Oww… hurts."

Souta laughed. Kagome noticed and tried to jump up and grab him by the shoulders. He squeaked and shot backwards, his book flying from his hand.

Kagome clutched at thin air.

He blinked.

She blinked.

She looked at her hands, then began to wail. "I've gotten slower, I've gotten WORSE! Oh man what am I going to do now? My sensei would kill me if he found out. Shit," she froze, stunned, as though she had just realized the situation.

"I'm slow," Kagome whispered.

"Uh, excuse me…" a hesitant voice sounded from the front door. Souta jumped up and with a hurried, "I'll get it," ran out of the room. His pile of books collapsed across her bed. Kagome was rolling around on the floor in emotional turmoil, groaning, "I'm slow, I'm slow, I'm so slow, I'm slower than the slowest sloth, I'm slow, I am so pathetically slow…"

Souta shook his head. "Come in, Nijo-kun, Okaa-san isn't around."

The boy, Nijo-kun, took off his shoes, saying, "Get changed, Rashi-kun, we're going to the arcade. Come with?"

Kagome calmly sailed past Souta, ruffling his hair. She had somehow managed to change into a longsleeved shirt and slacks. Greeting Souta's friend, who was a good head shorter than him, she wandered into their tiny kitchen/dining room. "Who wants some Cola?"

A few minutes later, Souta and Nijo-kun were leaving. Her little brother passed the kitchen, a hat in his hand, and paused. "Nee-chan, one glass-"

"-only. Man, who the hell are you, my mother? I'm not stupid, you know."

"Sometimes it's very hard to believe that, you know?"

"Piss off and come back, brat."

"You're slow."

"… I'm slow…"

---_I can't do homework tonight, I have to straighten my hair!_---

Fusa was bored. Very bored. Strangely, the shop had been empty all morning. She opened her eyes and sighed.

The little bell above the door rang merrily. At the sound Fusa shot up, plastered a cheesy expression on her face and called out sweetly, "Welcome to-… oh, its just you."

"Yonai-sama…" the small girl was holding onto the doorknob in both hands, her hair in a long braid.

"What do you need, Dan-chan?"

The girl beamed. "the order has arrived, Yonai-sama. They're at the front right now. What do you want me to do?"

Fusa leaned over the counter to look out the door. There was indeed a truck outside the shop. Her nostrils flared. It looked disguisting.

"It's ugly. Take it around the back and get the guy with the weird haircut to help you."

"Yes, right away!" Overcome with responsibility, the girl bowed, her hold on the heavy door releasing. She squeaked as the door bumped her out of the shop.

The bell rang.

Fusa sighed, sitting on a stool. It truly was an uneventful day. She pulled out a magazine from beneath the counter to read the boredom away.

"Hey, coffee lollies!"

---_I can't do homework tonight, I have to straighten my hair!_---

She huffed, inspecting her arm. It was reddening, otherwise, nothing was wrong. Uzuki brushed herself down with her hands, then trotted to the truck. The driver leaned out the window of the truck as she approached. He seemed so far away. She smiled.

"Yonai-sama said to bring it around the back. Is that okay, Mr Driver?"

His head moved slightly, then he grunted and looked at her again. "Fine. Get in the truck and show me the way."

"Eh?!" Uzuki became flustered. "I-I can't," she cried out anxiously, a hint of hysteria in her voice. "Mama told me never to get into cars with strangers."

She saw one silver eyebrow rise out of tinted glasses. Then he turned his face away. All Uzuki could see was one of his gloved hands. She heard the sound of a truck door opening. Then he leaned out the window to look at her again. This time he jerked his head. He was wearing a black cap with his hair in a ponytail. "Get in."

Uzuki didn't exactly know why, but she didn't feel self-conscious or wary around the driver. She nodded, smiling, and walked around the truck, ducking easily under the open door. It soon became evident that it was impossible for her to climb into the truck by herself.

She heard a sigh, then two gloved hands hooked under her shoulders, lifting her up. She was released ungracefully onto the seat. The driver reached across her and the door closed loudly.

"Um… thank you very much, Mr Driver." She smiled cutely.

He started to drive. "Keh."

After she put on the seatbelt, which was covered in dust and looked very unused, she began to stare openly at the driver. Meaning, Uzuki's head was facing him, her expression dumb, curious, wide.

He was wearing a big, black jacket, zipped closed. It made him look small. His slacks were faded. She looked at his face again. His ears were hidden behind his bangs. He had a messy fringe. His face, under the sunglasses, was tanned and remarkably young-looking.

"What?"

"Huh?! Um, um, nothing! It's nothing!" Uzuki exclaimed, blushing guiltily.

Under her direction, both survived the short trip, although the truck was sporting a few – well, several – fresh, and most likely permanent, bruises. Uzuki leapt out of the truck with enthusiasm. The driver took his time.

The lane was a short one, and wide. It has a dull, dirty look to it; two huge dustbins stood in front of a small rusted garage door. The girl ran to the opposite side of this, to a blue metal door set in brickwork. The door was shiny.

Uzuki grabbed the door handle and opened it. It squeaked. Then she remembered the truck driver and spun on her feet to face him. He had just got out of the truck. "Please wait here a moment, okay? I'll be right back."

She turned and ran into something solid.

The tall teenager looked down at the blinking confused girl sitting on the sidewalk. He had a haircut remarkably like a hedgehog, the tips of his hair dyed orange, his roots, dark brown. He was wearing black bell-bottomed jeans and shiny blue and white sneakers.

He blinked. "Dan… chan… ?"

Uzuki scramed, launching herself at him. She hugged him. "Morri-san, Morri-san! I haven't seen you in AGES," she said, pulling a face. He laughed.

"But we only saw each other a few minutes ago," he replied, wriggling his eyebrows. Uzuki pouted.

He turned his smiling face to the truck driver. He didn't look very inviting, but he also didn't seem to be going anywhere soon. So he strode forward.

"Hey, I'm Morri Kiyoshi. Nice to meet you man." There was a pregnant pause. "So… what's your name?"

"Morri-san, he drove the truck of stuff here for us, and Yonai-sama said to bring the order here."

Kiyoshi looked down at her.

"Terajima."

He looked at the driver again. Said driver walked around to the back of his truck as he spoke. "I'm Terajima."

In the end, Kiyoshi ended up carrying all the items inside by himself. Terajima-san offered no help after the papers had been signed, leaning against the side of the truck. He was scribbling something on his clipboard.

Uzuki had somehow managed to climb back into the truck, and was now sitting in the seat, talking animatedly to the non-respondent white haired young man.

"… Yonai-sama told me that the truck was too ugly and to bring it around the back before it stank up the street but I don't think she saw you or she would've seen how nice you are and let your truck stay…"

The metal door clanged shut. Kiyoshi walked over to a shelf and placed a box there. Then, he opened the door and walked back to the truck for another round.

"… And so we're all like a family, and I'm the youngest, and I work here while daddy is a merchant, but I can't stay at mummy's because she went away. Daddy said a fox bewitched her into loving him and she left us…"

"… for not properly protecting mummy, but Yonai-sama slapped him and told him he was an idiot and that he still has to take care of me. I work with Morri-san lots, but his room is always messy. My one is always clean. I…"

"Daddy taught me lots, he teaches me better stuff than at school. I can fight. I'm a good fighter. I can beat daddy every time. He taught me to fly, too."

"Fly?" Terajima's voice was very quiet.

"Yes. But daddy makes it look very easy, but it's very hard…"

"Dan-chan," Kiyoshi said warningly. Uzuki looked up and gave him a cheeky smile. "All done?" she piped.

Kiyoshi nodded. He looked at Terajima who was still absorbed in his clipboard. He inclined his head towards him slightly, and the truck driver ignored it. "I'm done."

"Good." He turned to Uzuki. "Get out."

"Whee!" She jumped into Kiyoshi's arms.

"Oof! You're heavy!"

"Na, na! You still have to carry me." A paper was shoved in her face. "Eh?"

It was Terajima-san. "Something you should probably get to keep your mind on the ground."

She grabbed it and waved it around. "Thank you," she sang.

Kiyoshi was staring at the truck driver, who got into his truck. Then he spoke. "You won't… report anything, will you?"

The driver snorted and the engine roared into life. That was when Kiyoshi realized that under his side bangs was… nothing. No human ears. The driver looked at him again, and drove off.

He stared after the truck as the cries of delight assaulted his ears. "Wow, isn't it cute, it's so beautiful, wow…"

He looked at the picture. It was a puppy. He smiled.

"It's so cute, cute, cute…"


End file.
